# Chapter 92
“You’re paying for this, right, hyung?”
As Mo Eunje asked cutely while widening his eyes, Jang Jiha let out a deflated sigh.
“Hey, come on. What money does a poor poet like me have?”
“But you’re the one who made the reservation. And while you might be a poor poet, your family is incredibly wealthy.”
“I don’t particularly feel like treating you, but I need to eat what I want to eat.”
If someone else had made dinner plans and reserved this restaurant, it would have been extremely burdensome, but since Mo Eunje usually met with Jang Jiha privately in places with this kind of atmosphere, he had become somewhat accustomed to it by now. Saying that he hadn’t brought Mo Eunje here to treat him to something delicious but because he himself wanted to eat here was just one of Jang Jiha’s typical repertoires.
Jang Jiha’s family owned one of the major conglomerates responsible for a significant portion of South Korea’s economy. As the youngest son of a chaebol family, Jang Jiha had been born with a weak constitution and suffered a life-threatening illness in his mid-teens. The story of how, after overcoming that dangerous crisis, his family spared no expense in supporting him to do whatever he wanted with his life was more famous than the poems he wrote.
“The thing I regret most since my literary debut is revealing which family I come from. Everyone thinks my poetry is just a hobby. No one cares about the fact that I put my whole heart and soul into it.”
His voice sounded somewhat pessimistic. Jang Jiha’s works mainly explored human inner worlds and the search for self-realization, with sincere emotion packed into each carefully chosen word with its implicit meanings. If novelist Kwon Jiyeon had a deep understanding of life, then poet Jang Jiha had a profound understanding of people. Reading just a few of his poems would allow one to desperately feel how much heart and sincerity he poured into loving human existence, but most people were more interested in his family background than his poetry.
After his sickly and frail period, Jang Jiha had eaten everything considered good for the body and spared no effort in improving his physical strength, so his current height and build were similar to Mo Eunje’s.
“It’s not like you revealed it because you wanted to, hyung. With all those speculations and bizarre rumors floating around online, you had no choice but to clarify things.”
“If they hadn’t been saying nonsense about me being an illegitimate child and whatnot, I would have just ignored it. I don’t know why I got so upset about what people I barely know were saying.”
At that time, it wasn’t just Jang Jiha who had gotten upset and made clarifications; his parents, brother, and sisters had also stepped in and escalated the situation. His mother in particular had been enraged, going so far as to assemble a dedicated legal team to file lawsuits and handle the matter without mercy, which resulted in rumors and comments about Jang Jiha becoming remarkably clean afterward.
“No, you did the right thing. Even with the news of your fifth poetry collection being released, all the comments are supportive. I think it’s necessary to take a strong stance against disrespectful people.”
“That’s true too. At least I don’t have to deal with unnecessary stress because of it.”
Just like when Mo Eunje had visited with Tae Igyeol, an employee came with samples of the meat cuts to be used in the course meal to demonstrate their freshness. Unlike that time, they didn’t order any alcohol separately. Soon, the appetizers began to be served.
“Can I take a verification photo and post it on SNS saying you’re flexing on me, hyung?”
“Of course. Even better if you hold my poetry collection, take a picture with your handsome face, and promote it.”
“How could I refuse when you’re treating me to something so expensive? I’ll buy ten copies and gift them to my friends too. I’ll put my entire soul into promoting it, hyung-nim.”
The moment Mo Eunje spoke with such brazenness, he realized that although he had planned to bring Jang Jiha’s poetry collection for an autograph, he had forgotten to actually bring it. He had bought it the day before yesterday after leaving the library and before going to the café.
When he actually tried to take a picture, he found his hands empty. He got up and searched his pants pockets, then realized he hadn’t retrieved his phone after leaving it with Manager Yoon Hyesu. He didn’t have Manager Yoon’s phone number memorized, so there was no way to contact her. The only number he had memorized wasn’t his parents’, but Tae Igyeol’s. In any case, he needed to find his phone, and calling Tae Igyeol was the only option.
“Hyung, let me make a quick call. I left my phone with the agency representative earlier and forgot to get it back.”
“You entrusted your phone to someone? Why didn’t you just turn it off and keep it in your pocket like I do?”
Jang Jiha lent his phone with a look of incomprehension. Mo Eunje smiled awkwardly and began dialing the 11-digit number he had memorized, when suddenly a better idea occurred to him. Rather than calling Tae Igyeol and asking him to look at Manager Yoon Hyesu’s business card on the desk in the Alpha Room to get her number, it would be much faster and smarter to call his own phone and speak directly with Manager Yoon. He had almost stupidly done something foolish.
– “Poet Jang Jiha? Hello, I’m the agent for novelist Mo Eunje whom we met earlier. I should have returned the novelist’s phone after the live broadcast—”
“Manager-nim. This is Mo Eunje.”
He quickly revealed his identity, interrupting Manager Yoon Hyesu who had been explaining in an awkward voice. Presumably, Jang Jiha’s name had appeared on Mo Eunje’s phone, and Manager Yoon had answered it.
– “I’m sorry, novelist-nim. The PD suddenly started talking about a company dinner, and I completely forgot I had your phone.”
“It’s okay. I forgot about it too. Where are you now?”
– “I’ve almost arrived at Taeyang Actors. I was wondering how to return it to you when, coincidentally, Tae Igyeol-ssi called your phone.”
“Ah…”
– “He asked me to leave it at the first-floor reception of Taeyang Actors. Would you like me to bring it somewhere else instead?”
Since Tae Hyunseok had summoned him this morning, Tae Igyeol was probably at Taeyang Actors now. That must be why he had asked for the phone to be left at the first-floor reception. After a brief internal struggle, Mo Eunje made his decision, feeling bad about inconveniencing Manager Yoon who had already almost reached Taeyang Actors.
“Then, I’m sorry to ask, but could you leave it there? I’ll get it from Igyeol when I go home.”
He just needed to ask Jang Jiha to take the verification photo, and he wouldn’t need his phone right away. It might be a bit inconvenient for a while, but he didn’t usually look at his phone much anyway, so he wouldn’t feel much discomfort. After exchanging a few more words with Manager Yoon, he ended the call plainly. Then he handed the phone back to Jang Jiha with both hands, narrowing his eyes and giving a slight bow.
“Thank you for letting me use it.”
“You always act so formal at the strangest moments. Creates a sense of distance.”
“You’re a senior who’s treating me to a course meal—how could I speak casually and reduce that distance?”
“This guy, I swear.”
Jang Jiha laughed and put the bite-sized appetizer into his mouth in one go before continuing.
“But didn’t you say you lived with your parents?”
“I used to, but my parents moved to Busan, so now I live with a friend.”
“Really? That long-time friend you said was your closest?”
“Did I tell you about him too, hyung?”
“Every time we meet, all you do is brag about that friend. I even remember his name because his surname is uncommon. Didn’t Tae Iden post a photo with him on SNS saying he was his brother, then delete it right away?”
Mo Eunje was shocked at how much he had apparently talked about Tae Igyeol without even realizing it. He was aware that he discussed various topics with Jang Jiha beyond just their works, but this was the first time he’d learned that he had been singing Tae Igyeol’s praises every time they met.
“Yes. Igyeol doesn’t like having his face exposed.”
“You told me that too. You talked about that friend so much that I wondered if you two had a different kind of relationship.”
“A different… relationship?”
“Eunje, I don’t have any prejudice about those things. If you want to keep it secret, that’s fine, but if you’re ever having a hard time, you can talk to me about it. People get together because they like each other—don’t feel intimidated because you’re worried about what others might think.”
“What?”
Jang Jiha’s cautious tone was tinged with genuine concern, but Mo Eunje was so taken aback that he unconsciously raised his voice a notch. The staff member who was knocking and entering with the next plate was startled enough to flinch.
“Hyung, what kind of misunderstanding do you have? I almost burst out laughing.”
After the staff placed the plates in front of each of them and left, Mo Eunje laughed with an exaggerated expression of disbelief.
“Huh…? It’s not like that?”
“Come on, it’s nothing like that. We’ve literally grown up together since we were babies—we’re like real brothers. How could that even be possible? Seriously, hyung.”
“Strange. Whenever you talk about that friend, your eyes sparkle and your face lights up, so I thought that’s what it was. That kind of look and expression can only come from someone who’s head over heels.”
“I’ve been told that I radiate light whenever I talk about people I like. But Poet Jang Jiha, if I may humbly say so, there are many different textures to the feeling of liking someone.”
He joked while putting the food from his plate into his mouth. Even though he clearly saw what he was eating with his eyes, he had no idea what he was chewing.
